Lobelia plant named ‘Scarlet Princess’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Lobelia  plant named ‘Scarlet Princess’, characterized by its upright and compact plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy plant form; freely flowering habit; long flowering period; dark red-colored flowers; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Lobelia speciosa.

Cultivar denomination: ‘SCARLET PRINCESS’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lobelia plant, botanically known as Lobelia speciosa and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Scarlet Princess’.

The new Lobelia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Langford, Maldon, Essex, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact and uniform Lobelia plants with numerous attractive flowers.

The new Lobelia plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2008 of two proprietary seedling selections of Lobelia speciosa, not patented. The new Lobelia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Langford, Maldon, Essex, United Kingdom in 2009.

Asexual reproduction of the Lobelia plant by vegetative cuttings in Hillegom, The Netherlands since the summer of 2009 has shown that the unique features of this new Lobelia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Lobelia have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Scarlet Princess’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Scarlet Princess’ as a new and distinct Lobelia plant:

-   -   1. Upright and compact plant habit.     -   2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy plant form.     -   4. Freely flowering habit.     -   5. Long flowering period.     -   6. Dark red-colored flowers.     -   7. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Lobelia differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Lobelia are more compact than plants of the         parent selections.     -   2. Plants of the new Lobelia grow more uniformly than plants of         the parent selections.     -   3. Plants of the new Lobelia have darker-colored leaves than         plants of the parent selections.     -   4. Plants of the new Lobelia are more freely flowering than         plants of the parent selections.

Plants of the new Lobelia can be compared to plants of Lobelia speciosa ‘Fan Scarlet’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Langford, Maldon, Essex, United Kingdom, plants of the new Lobelia differed from plants of ‘Fan Scarlet’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Lobelia were more compact than plants of         ‘Fan Scarlet’.     -   2. Plants of the new Lobelia grew more uniformly than plants of         ‘Fan Scarlet’.     -   3. Plants of the new Lobelia and ‘Fan Scarlet’ differed in leaf         color.     -   4. Plants of the new Lobelia were more freely flowering than         plants of ‘Fan Scarlet’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Lobelia plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the actual colors of the new Lobelia plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Scarlet Princess’ grown in an outdoor nursery.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used for the aforementioned photograph and following description were grown during the summer in ground beds in an outdoor nursery in Vogelenzang, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial Lobelia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 28° C. and night temperatures ranged from 8° C. to 18° C. Plants were two years old when the photograph and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Lobelia speciosa ‘Scarlet Princess’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Unnamed proprietary seedling             selection of Lobelia speciosa, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed proprietary seedling             selection of Lobelia speciosa, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—In vitro propagation.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About twelve days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About four             weeks at temperatures about 18° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About five             weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Thick, fleshy; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright and             compact plant habit; freely basal branching habit with about             three primary flowering stems each with about nine lateral             branches developing; relatively short internodes; dense and             bushy plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 66.2 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 30.3 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 22.3 cm. Diameter:             About 4 mm. Internode length: About 1.6 cm. Strength:             Strong, flexible. Aspect: Mostly upright to about 10° from             vertical. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 166A. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple; sessile.         -   Length.—About 10.7 cm.         -   Width.—About 2.9 cm.         -   Shape.—Obovate to oblanceolate.         -   Apex.—Acute to long acuminate.         -   Base.—Long and narrowly cuneate.         -   Margin.—Irregularly dentate to serrate.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous;             slightly leathery.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 203A             tinged with close to 147A. Developing leaves, lower surface:             Close to 137A to 137B tinged with close to 203A. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to between N186C and             200A; towards the base, tinged with close to 137A; venation,             close to 200A to 200B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface:             Close to 137B heavily tinged with close to 187B; venation,             close to 200A. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower arrangement, habit and shape.—Single flowers arranged             in terminal racemes; flowers held slightly upright to             outwardly; freely flowering habit with typically 24 flowers             per inflorescence and about 225 flowers developing per             plant; flowers bilabiate with two free smaller upper petals             and three partially-fused lower petals.         -   Inflorescence length.—About 27 cm.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 6.4 cm.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—In The Netherlands, plants of the             new Lobelia flower continuously from early spring to late             summer; plants begin flowering about 13 weeks after             planting.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—Longevity of individual             flowers is highly dependent on temperature, flowers             typically last about ten days on the plant; flowers not             persistent.         -   Flower diameter.—About 2.9 cm by 3.5 cm.         -   Flower depth.—About 3.2 cm.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 1.8 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm.             Shape: Oblong to narrowly obovate. Color: Close to 60B;             towards the apex, close to 46A.         -   Petals.—Quantity and arrangement: Single whorl of five             petals fused towards the base; two smaller free upper petals             and three partially-fused lower petals; all petals fused             into a tube towards the base. Length: About 3.8 mm. Width,             upper petals: About 5 mm. Width, lower petals: About 9 mm.             Shape: Narrowly spatulate. Apex: Narrowly acute. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; velvety.             Texture, lower surface: Smooth, and mostly glabrous;             sparsely pubescent along main veins. Color: When opening and             fully opened, upper surface: Close to between 45B and 46B;             throat, close to 53A to 53C; color does not fade with             development. When opening, lower surface: Close to between             46A and 53B; tube, close to 53A to 53B.         -   Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: Single whorl of five             sepals, fused at the base; calyx, campanulate. Length: About             1.5 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Narrowly             acute. Base: Broadly cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening             and fully opened, upper surface: Close to N186C slightly             tinged with close to 147A. When opening and fully opened,             lower surface: Close to N186C.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 24.6 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm.             Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture: Smooth, glabrous.             Color: Close to between 166A and 200A.         -   Pedicels.—Length: About 1.3 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Aspect: About 10° from peduncle axis. Strength: Moderately             strong, flexible. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to             183A to 183B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Five.             Filament length: About 1.9 cm. Filament color: Close to 60A.             Anther length: About 3 mm. Anther shape: Narrowly oblong.             Anther color: Close to between 156D and 161A. Pollen amount:             Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 20B. Pistils: Quantity per             flower: One. Pistil length: About 2 cm. Stigma shape:             Bi-lobate. Stigma color: Close to 46A. Style length: About             1.8 cm. Style color: Close to 35B. Ovary color: Close to             46A.         -   Fruits and seeds.—Fruit and seed development have not been             observed on plants of the new Lobelia. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Lobelia have not been     noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Lobelia     plants. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Lobelia have been observed to     have good garden performance and to tolerate wind, rain, high     temperatures about 40° C. and to be hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 5. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Lobelia plant named ‘Scarlet Princess’ as illustrated and described. 